One of the greatest amplifiers of ethnic news in the United States is shutting down at the end of the month.
It’s New America Media, whose mission has been "bringing the voices of the marginalized into the national discourse." NAM started out as Pacific News Service back in 1969. Since then it has partnered with more than 700 hyphenated American news organizations.
KALW has had a very special relationship with NAM: Journalists including KALW’s Sandip Roy are alumni, and members of our news staff, including Crosscurrents' host Hana Baba, have taken part in NAM's journalism fellowships.
Needless to say, we here at KALW feel a deep sadness with the closure of NAM. So we invited Sandy Close, the director of the organization since 1974, to our studios to talk about why it’s shutting down, and what’s next.
"There's nothing that will substitute for high touch communication. Nothing that really can take away the ability to convene communities, to bring people together."
Click the audio player above to hear the full interview.
